Furnishing Your Home Office

For most people a dedicated place for a home office isn’t all that necessary, but when you start to bring more and more of your work home with you, then it is past time to consider getting one. The biggest benefit from having your own home office is to be able to have everything you need to work all in one place, and nothing to distract you from it. In order to get started though, you’re going to need some furniture for all your things and to get the most out of your new home office.

Plan Ahead

At first, you’re only going to have a couple of folders and binders where you can keep your paperwork sorted, but soon the pile will begin to grow, especially when you start adding more files, notebooks, reference books and you’ll also need room on your table for a computer or a laptop. Eventually you won’t have enough space on your table to move your arms about, or reach for that pen you need. The solution is quite simple; all you need is a filing cabinet and a bookshelf.

Filing cabinets are the easiest way to store all your files and folders systematically, and if you’re concerned when it comes to security, then you can find a whole range of security measures built-in to them to you can make sure that important information doesn’t find its way into prying hands.

Bookshelves are the easiest way to keep all your books in line, but you have to be wary of how much space you need. Some people might only ever need a small selection of books, and so might prefer to have a few rows of wall shelving placed above their desk, while others might prefer a standard bookshelf for the sheer number of books they have collected.

The most important thing when you’re furnishing your home office is to think ahead, and be sure of what you need. You may only need a few bits and pieces now, but what about in a year or two? There’s nothing wrong to buy in “bulk” in order to accommodate for the future.

Lighting up the Room

One of the key things you need to consider is where your sources of light are. The best place for a desk would be near a window, not only giving you a natural light source during the day, but it’s also great for the breeze you might get on a hot day. But the sun only stays out for half the day, so if you’re planning to work at night, you’re going to need a few good sources of artificial light. For most people it’s easy to just use the ceiling light, but sometimes that’s not enough, especially if you have your back to it. In these cases, a lamp is a great source of light and can also be a tasteful addition to your home office. For most a desk lamp is enough so they can have a clear view of everything on their desk, while other might instead prefer a floor lamp, whether it’s Omni- or multi-directional it can provide a light throughout the room and can be handy if you’re looking through your filing cabinet or bookshelf in the dimness of the ceiling light.

Finding the Right Desk

The desk is the centre of the room, if not literally than at least figuratively. It is the key feature for any home office and it’s what you should be furnishing your home office around. There are hundreds of different styles and tastes available, with everything from the ornate and antique, to something slick and modern.

Being aware of the design is all well and good, but you should first consider what you would need out of the desk and the functionality you would expect from it. It has to be big enough to incorporate what you might need, but it cannot exceed the space that you’ve allocated for it. The features are important as well, for example, if you have a few books that you need for constant reference, then picking one with a built-in bookshelf would make your life a lot easier.